Author's 'bread' speaks for homeless

By Charnika Jett
Sep. 12, 2009    ·    11:58 a.m.

Homelessness has been a serious issue in America for what seems like forever. But hearing about homelessness and seeing it are two different things that bring out two totally different emotions.

Writer Jeniffer Burd hopes to touch hearts and open the minds of people about this growing population of homelessness in two areas of Michigan at her reception at the Shankwiler 123 Gallery on Saturday where her book, Daily Bread will be on sale.

All the proceeds of the book will benefit both the Lenawee Daily Bread soup kitchen and the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

The book, which is composed of photographs and lyrical prose poems, came together after Burd was given an assignment when working as a reporter for the Daily Telegram in Adrian.

“[My editor] gave me an assignment to cover the homeless for a weekend,” Burd said. “When I went to do these interviews, I spent a lot of times with these peoples before I started doing the story and I went back to the soup kitchen afterwards.”

Burd was so captivated by their interesting stories told by the many she interviewed, she realized she had so much information that couldn’t all be shared in one newspaper story. Instead of just disregarding it, Burd felt obligated to share the information with the world.

“I knew I needed to write about them in another way and it kind of became these prose poems that I think of as portraits of people at the soup kictchen,” she said. “ I just kept doing them and I didn’t plan on doing anything with them for a long time and it just got to be more and more of them.”

That’s when Burd began to speak with Lad Strayer, a photographer who also worked with Burd at the Daily Telegram in Adrian. Strayer had already begun taking photos of homeless men and women also at Daily Bread soup kitchen prior to Burd’s story.

After thinking about how both of their work could amount to something beneficial to the people they interviewed and the public, Strayer decided to put together an exhibit at Adrian College that displayed both Strayer’s photographs and Burd’s poems on sound boards.

“We just thought that this presentation in a way hit home more about homelessness.” Burd said. “It hit home more than all of those newspaper articles I did because it hit more on an emotional level and a more personal level and its important for people to read it and that’s why we published it,” she said.

For those who visit the reception and aren’t able to buy a book, Michelle Shankwiler, owner of Shankwiler 123 Gallery, are making a donation box available where all proceeds will also go to the Daily Bread soup kitchen and the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

“People can donate money and of course the gallery won’t keep any percentage of the sales,” Shankwiler said. “I don’t want to take anything. I want it all to go the homeless shelter and the Daily Bread.”

The reception will be held at 5- 7 p.m. at the Shankwiler 123 Gallery, located at 35 E. Cross St. For more information, call the gallery at 734.487.9150.